Why Was The Skylift Removed?

[jcmayid]

I remember back in the day, when you could get from tomorrowland to fantasyland in a heartbeat. If Busch Gardens could keep them, why couldn't Disney. It was a great break, especially to get you accross the park. I hate that it's gone!! Does anyone know why they removed them, and what's the story behind it?

 

[disneydudette]

:veryconfu :veryconfu u got me.....

maybe because they were out-dated and became a saftey hazard.....:veryconfu :veryconfu

 

[wdwjmp239]

Originally posted by disneydudette
:veryconfu :veryconfu u got me.....

maybe because they were out-dated and became a saftey hazard.....:veryconfu :veryconfu

I heard from a cast member that the reason why they took them down was because a maintenance worker was working on the skylift and fell to his death. I also remember reading about a disney accident in the Orlando Sentinel a couple of years ago about it. Maybe someone else knows?

 

[isnet396]

Originally posted by ntn_haqqer


I heard from a cast member that the reason why they took them down was because a maintenance worker was working on the skylift and fell to his death. I also remember reading about a disney accident in the Orlando Sentinel a couple of years ago about it. Maybe someone else knows?

Thats exactly what happened. Somehow this guy managed to clean the outside of the cab, and then clean the path below him when he it the ground

 

[wdwjmp239]

Originally posted by isnet396


Thats exactly what happened. Somehow this guy managed to clean the outside of the cab, and then clean the path below him when he it the ground

I also heard that the guy that fell to his death is a ghost in the Haunted Mansion

 

[Lord Alfred]

They try to keep it a secret, but people kept jumping out of the buckets to commit suicide. They would usually do it right in the middle of Fantasyland, in order to traumatize as many young children as possible. Paramedics would then come scoop up the remains and drive them off property before declaring them dead. :dazzle:


Just Joking :lol: That's never happened as far as I know.

 

[BigAL]

Sky Rides

I have never heard of anyone commiting suicide at Disney like that, but who knows. They were probably removed because of cost to operate and maintain. As with a lot of parks getting rid of them. I think there is only one or two suppliers that make parts for them.

 

[Monorail Lime]

It is true that a maintenance worker died, but that is not why they took it out.

The Skyway was not safe. If there were a fire and the ride system stopped working the entire park would have to be evacuated before they'd be able to get the cherry pickers in there to evacuate it.

The Skyway was bad show. Guests don't like having spit and other trash dropped on them from above. Unfortunately it only takes one mean person to totally ruin the magic for someone else and that happened quite a bit.

The Skyway was not efficient. It had a very low guest capacity and had to be stopped completely to allow guests who need extra time to board.

The Skyway was not very interesting. The exact same thing is available at Busch Gardens and many Six Flags parks.

The Skyway was expensive. The high maintenance costs could not be justified considering the unpopular nature of the ride.

 

[raven]

Stories, stories, stories. Yes it is true about the maintenance worker. (I had a friend their that day). He was painting a support collum when he fell to his death.

All the rest are just stories. They would have plastered it all over the news! Disney can't keep this stuff a secret when there are that many people around.

Skyway was taken down (I believe) because of safety reasons and also when you rode it, you saw the tops of the buildings and backstage. They didn't want that anymore. But ultimately, I think the death of the maintenance worked was the final step in the shut down process.

If those other stories were true, they would have been listed on the website below.

http://members.aol.com/rides911/accidents.htm

 

[CAPTAIN HOOK]

The reason for the closure was as a result of the death - however, the safety issue should a fire break out or a mechanical defect would also have played a major consideration into the decision to close it.
Shame, I enjoyed it

 

[One Lil Spark]

And what about hurricanes? After each one, wouldn't it be a pain to do the maintenance on that thing?

 

[Lord Alfred]

You know, I can honestly say that the Skyway was probably the only attraction at WDW that I have never ridden. My family and I just never bothered to go on it. Are the abandoned load/unload stations still standing there like a huge monument to "bad show"? They were still there in 2000. We also never have bothered with the Swiss Family Treehouse.

 

[westie]

Probably a good reason is that a clever kid could spit on at least ten unsuspecting people during their trip across. Know any other parks that have them?

Later in life it becomes a fantastic place to share a "cigarette" with friends. "The pirates coming after me ahhhh!"

 

[aladdin7702]

I know that one of the loading/unloading stations is still standing at the very edge of Fantasyland. I saw that there on my last trip in April 2002 with my high school marching band. I didn't know what it was. I didn't even know that Walt Disney World had a Skylift. When was it installed and when was it taken down? Besides I don't think that a Skylift really fits Disney let alone the Magic Kingdom. I would think that they would put something like that in EPCOT.

 

[wdwjmp239]

Originally posted by Lord Alfred
You know, I can honestly say that the Skyway was probably the only attraction at WDW that I have never ridden. My family and I just never bothered to go on it. Are the abandoned load/unload stations still standing there like a huge monument to "bad show"? They were still there in 2000. We also never have bothered with the Swiss Family Treehouse.

Yes, the stations are still there. There's one in Tomorrow land where Space Mountain is. And, there's another one near Peter Pan. Of course, the one near peter pan is fenced off and the other one is just a slab of concrete. No one really notices it.

What I haven't noticed is if the columns are still standing?

 

[jcmayid]

I went last year to MK and noticed that both stations are still standing, and if you look from one(especially the one in fantasyland) you can see that the columns are still standing also.

 

[Jerm]

BIG RANT coming.............

O.K. first off the attractions name was the SKYWAY!!!!! It closed just a few years ago for almost all the reasons listed by someone that didn't have anything to do with death. It was a great attraction for a break or to see some of the behind the pixie dust magic, but I think for most normal park guests it really was just a cool thing to do. They did have a death in WDW and in DL some dumb butt did find a way to jump out over one of the trees in Fantasyland and say that he fell out to try and get money from the mouse.
If you are looking for some great stories and a lot of the rumor kill stories check out a book that has been out for about 8 years called Mouse Tails or More Mouse Tails. They are both really good and fun books to read and you can get them in paper back at most book stores.

J

 

[kwt10]

As a child I loved riding the Skyway, but the older I got the less I cared for it. I did love to see 20k from the Skyway when it was running.

 

[Piglet]

I did hear a rumour that one of the stations (the one near "It's a small world") was going to be made into a restaurant. I don't know how true that is though. Personally, I found the Skyway scary

 

[christopher]

I hated the skyway. It looked 70's. I'm glad its gone.